Abstract
In this study, bismuth oxybromide/reduced graphene oxide (BiOBr/RGO), i.e. BiOBr-G nanocomposites, were synthesized using a one-step microwave-assisted method. The structure of the synthesized nanocomposites was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). In addition, the ability of the nanocomposite to degrade methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation was investigated. The synthesized nanocomposite achieved an MB degradation rate of above 96% within 75 min of continuous visible light irradiation. In addition, the synthesized BiOBr-G nanocomposite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB. Furthermore, the results revealed that the separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs in the BiOBr-G nanocomposite enhanced the ability of the nanocomposite to absorb visible light, thus improving the photocatalytic properties of the nanocomposites. Lastly, the MB photo-degradation mechanism of BiOBr-G was investigated, and the results revealed that the BiOBr-G nanocomposites exhibited good photocatalytic activity.
Highlights
Since 1972, the principle and applications of photocatalysis have been extensively investigated
The results revealed that the composite exhibited 76.24% methylene blue (MB) dye removal after 120 min visible light irradiation
The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of GO, reduced graphene oxide (RGO), BiOBr, and all the BiOBr-G nanocomposites
Summary
Since 1972, the principle and applications of photocatalysis have been extensively investigated. Farhadian et al [26] synthesized N, S-doped TiO2 (NST), N, S-doped ZnO (NSZ), and their composites with chitosan (NST/CS, NSZ/CS) using the sol gel-hydrothermal method They found that NST/CS exhibited the highest tetracycline degradation efficiency of 91% under 20 min visible light exposure. Jiang et al [31] synthesized BiOBr-RGO nanocomposites using the hydrothermal method, and they found that the nanocomposites exhibited 100% nitrobenzene degradation after 360 min visible light irradiation. These studies indicate that the introduction of RGO to BiOBr could enhance its visible-light photocatalytic activity. Their effects on electron–hole pair separation were discussed
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